Package and method of making same



0a. 1, 1935. L DIX N 2,016,138

PACKAGE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Aug. 13, 1952 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Application August 13, 1932, Serial No. 628,668

6 Claims.

My invention relates to the art of making wrappers or protective coverings for articles of merchandise and particularly to the placing of wrappers or protective containers of thin transparent membraneous material over small articles.

The objects of my invention are to provide a wrapper and a method of making it which is very inexpensive and which lends itself to exceedingly rapid fabrication by means of automatic mechanical devices. The advent of the newer package wrapping materials, particularly of the cellulose ester type, which consist of a flexible, transparent, cellulose membrane has created new problems in wrapping articles both by hand methods and by automatic or semi-automatic machine methods. Some of these problems arise from the fact that most adhesives do not readily or firmly adhere to these materials, nor do they dry quickly enough to permit immediate release of the pressure applied to hold the materials together when cementing one to another. The stiiiness and springy nature of these materials causes them to part at the surface of contact unless held together under pressure long enough for the adhesives to, dry. Glassine paper also has somewhat the same characteristics.

Some of these wrapping materials will adhere slightly to one another under the combined action of heat and pressure, but the bond so produced is comparatively weak and not sufiicient for most purposes.

Another object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by providing a method by means of which these materials may be cemented to each other or to other surfaces, such as paper or cardboard, or the like, immediately and without the necessity of maintaining a pressure upon the united surfaces, or to wait for the adhesive to dry.

In making my new wrapper by my method I may employ a variety of kinds of membraneous materials, either transparent, translucent or opaque, and I may use a waterproof membrane to produce a moisture-proof wrapper. My method may be advantageously used in the wrapping of a wide variety of merchandise or small articles, but it is particularly well adapted to wrapping articles in packages of regular or symmetrical shape, such as circular, oval, square or rectangular, rather than packages which are irregular and unsymmetrical in shape, without regard to the shape of the articles wrapped.

Another advantage possessed by my new wrapper lies in its ability to furnish adequate protection to articles which heretofore have been packed in boxes, and to protect them from moisture.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown my new wrapper as applied to an article which is circular in plan and approximately rectangular in 5 section, such, for example, as a typewriter ribbon wound on a metal spool in the well known manner.

Fig. 1 shows in perspective a complete wrapper made by my new method.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the centre of 10 the wrapper. In the drawing like characters indicate the same or similar part: I is a band of cardboard or other suitable stiffening material, which furnishes a substantial member to which to attach the top and bottom membranes 2 and 3. 15 The stiffening band I vis coated on the outside with a layer, 4, of material which becomes adhesive to the membraneous covering upon the application of heat. The edges 5 and 6, of the top and bottom membranes 2 and 3 are folded over 20 the outer surface of the band I, and attached thereto by the layer of material, 4, as hereinafter described the article wrapped, I, is shown within the wrapper.

In the fabrication of my wrapper by my new 25 method, I proceed as follows:

The stiffening band I is made of such size and shape as to fit closely or loosely, as the case may be, about the article to be wrapped. This stiffening member or band serves as a protection to the 30 article, in addition to serving as a support for the membraneous top and bottom of the wrapper. To the outer surface of this stifiening band, I apply a layer or coating of a material which, when dried, is non-adhesive when cold or when at ordi- 35 nary temperatures, say below deg. F., but which becomes adhesive to the membraneous material of which the top and bottom are formed when it is heated to a higher temperature. As an example .of the material I may use for this 4 coating is a mixture of cellulose lacquer, castor oil and resin. This adhesive also forms a waterproof coating to the stifiening bond, and when used in conjunction with a waterproof membrane renders the completed package moisture-proof. 45

I may apply this coating to the outside surface of the band after it is formed into shape for use, or I may apply it to the surface of the material from which the band is fabricated before forming it into shape, or to a tube of the material from 50,

, inch beyond the band on all sides.

for example, of a size that will project, say, For these membraneous top and bottom members I may use waxed paper or transparent paper, or parchmented paper, or a flexible, transparent, cellulose membrane, or any thin membrane having the characteristics or appearance. desired of the finished wrapper.

I next fold the edges of the membraneous member over the outside of the stiffening band and apply heat and pressure to the outside of the folded-over portion of the membrane to such a degree that the coating of material, 4, becomes adhesive and firmly adheres to the folded portion of the membrane. This heat and pressure I may apply by passing the assembled wrapper into a heated tube or hollow form, which fits snugly against the outside of the wrapper, and maintaining the contact until the heat from the surrounding form has rendered the coating adhesive. I find it in some cases convenient to pass the wrappers one after another through a heated tube of such size and shape that the required pressure is exerted and the required temperature attained while the wrappers are passing through the tube.

In some cases I find it convenient to press the stiffening band together with the membraneous top and bottom members into two opposed cupshaped heated receptacles, which snugly fit around the wrapper, and so hold the folded over portions of the membranes firmly against the stiffening band until the desired temperature is reached which causes the membrane to adhere to the band. This heating and pressing operation completes the wrapping of the article.

In other cases I find it advantageous to attach one of the membraneous members to the stiffening band by one of the methods described, thus forming a container having sides and a bottom, to insert therein the article or articles to be wrapped and then to attach the other or top membraneous member by a similar method of pressing a close fitting heated cup ring down over the membrane to fold and press the overhanging edge of the membrane against the outside of the stiffening band until firm adhesion takes place, or by passing the assembled Wrapper through a heated tube.

The novel characteristics of my wrapper I believe to lie in the utilization of a stiffening member forming an enclosure around the article having sufllcient structural strength to support the membraneous members and to lend rigidity to the finished package; in the use of a coating on the outer surface of the said stiffening member which is not adhesive or sticky or tacky at ordinary temperatures, but which when heated becomes adhesive to the kind of membraneous material used in conjunction with it, and the cementing of the component parts securely together by subjecting the assembled parts to the simultaneous and combined action of heat and pressure as described.

I find that the simplicity of the operations involved in making my wrapper by my new method makes it possible to practice it with the aid of simple automatic machinery which will be the subject of other applications for patents.

I am aware that many methods have been employed to wrap articles with transparent and other thin membraneous material, in which various adhesives have been employed and in which only a portion of the wrapper consisted of thin or transparent or translucent membraneous material, but I am not aware that a method has been used wherein a coated stiffening band around the article is employed to furnish protection to the article and to which the membraneous materialis attached merely by the application of heat thereto. adhesives which clog up automatic machinery and continuously cause trouble and stoppage. By the use of a substantial band of stiff material carrying on its outer surface a heat sensitive adhesive, I eliminate all the troubles inherent in 10 the use of fluid adhesives and by merely pressing the membrane against the band with a heated implement the union is accomplished.

Having described my invention so that one skilled in the art may practice it, I shall now 15 state what I believe to be new and novel and for which I pray that Letters Patent be granted.

I claim:

1. The method of fabricating a package, which consists in surrounding an article with a pre- 20 formed tubular stiffening member formed of a strip of relatively stiff material, having on its outer surface a layer of cementitious material non-adhesive when cold andcapable of becoming adhesive whenheated, applying to the edges 25 of the stiffening member pieces of membraneous material larger than the stiffening member, folding the projecting edges of the membraneous material over the outside of the stiffening member, pressing the folded edges against the outer 30 surface of the stiffening member, and simultancously applying heat thereto to a degree rendering adhesive the layer of material on the outside of the stiffening member, substantially as described. 35 2. The method of fabricating a package, which consists in surrounding an article with a preformed tubular band of stiff material having on its outer surface a layer of cementitious material non-adhesive when cold and capable of becoming 40 adhesive when heated, applying to each of the two edges of the band a piece of membraneous material larger than said band, the edge of which projects substantially uniformly beyond said band, folding the edge of the membraneous ma- 45 terial over the outside of the band, pressing the folded edge of the membranous material against the outer surface of the band and passing the assembled wrapper through a close fitting tube having a temperature sufficient to render adhesive the materialon the outer surface of the band.

3. The method of fabricating a package, which consists in fabricating a tubular band of stiffening material having on its outer surface a layer of cementitious material non-adhesive when cold 55 and capable of becoming adhesive when heated, inserting an article therein applying to opposite ends of the band sheets of membraneous material, folding the edges of the membraneous material over the outside surface of the band, and pressing the folded edges against the outside surface of the band while applying heat thereto to a degree rendering the coating on the band adhesive.

4. A package, comprising a tubular stiffening band surrounding an article, alayer on the outer surface of said band of cementitious material, which is non-adhesive when cold and capable of becoming adhesive when heated, two opposing membraneous members, one on either end of said stiffening band, the edges of which are folded over the outer surface of the stiffening band and held bysaid cementing material substantially as described.

My method obviates the use of liquid 5 5. A package comprising atubular stiflening band of cardboard surrounding an article, a layer on the outer surface of said band of cementitious material which is non-adhesive when cold and capable of becoming adhesive when heated above 100 deg. F'., two opposing members of transparent membraneous material one on either end of said stifl'ening band, having their edges folded over the outer surface of the stiffening band, and held by said c'ementitious material substantially as described.

6. A package comprising a tubular stiffening band of cardboard surrounding an article, a layer on the outer surface of said band of waterproof cementitious material composed of a mixture of cellulose lacquer, castor oil and resin, two opposing members of waterproof transparent membraneous material, one on either end of said stiifening band, and held by said cementitious material substantially as described.

LEWIS M. DIXON. 

